Over the past several years, personal portable stereos such as the "Sony Walkman (Reg..TM.)" have become very popular. These personal stereos generally consist of a small radio or cassette player unit, generally about the size of a standard audio cassette tape (some radio-only units are as small as credit cards) together with a set of lightweight headphones. The headphones are attached to the radio or cassette player unit by a pair of long, thin wires and a standard stereo headphone plug.
The most common headphones consist of two foam-padded ear pieces attached to a flexible metal headband. These headphones work quite well. They are, however, unsightly, and cannot be worn under hats.
A second type of headphone is known as an "in-the-ear" headphone. This type of headphone consists of two small earpieces designed to fit inside the outer ear. No other means are used to maintain the earpieces in place. These headphones are less unsightly than the flexible headband type, although the wires dangling from the earpieces are also not very attractive. In addition, the earpieces tend to fall out of the ear, especially during physical activities such as jogging. Furthermore, the wires leading to the earpieces tend to tangle when removed from the ears, causing a great deal of inconvenience.
Over the last few years, sunglasses have once again become very popular. One type of sunglasses, popularized by such TV shows as "Magnum P.I." and "Miami Vice" comprises a neck-strap attached to the temples of the sunglasses. These are considered stylish, and allow the sunglasses to be worn like a necklace when they are not used to shield the eyes.